Whitchurch facing long relegation after Pelsall defeat

Whitchurch facing long relegation after Pelsall defeat

Whitchurch are in danger of losing touch with safety in the Birmingham and District Premier Cricket League Division Three after losing at home to Pelsall.

The visitors won the toss at Heath Road and took first go of the track in the hot conditions, hoping to sap Whitchurch’s fielders of their energy.

It was a team effort from Pelsall with a half-century from Todd Henderson the pick of the away team’s batting performance, taking 64 balls to reach his milestone with eight fours.

He was ably-supported by opener Alex Jones who scored 37 and Keith Moody, batting at number five, who scored 32.

From there, the rest of the visiting order all reached double figures but were unable to push on as Pelsall finished 246 all out in 53.4 overs as the Whitchurch bowlers stuck dutifully to their task.

Third change bowler Simon Dimelow was the pick of the home attack as he took 4-47 from his 11 overs while Daniel Bowen took 2-27 from seven overs opening the bowling.

Ijaz Yousef, William Doerr and Salim Ahmed all took one wicket apiece while the latter also executed an excellent run out.

While Whitchurch stuck at their bowling duties well, they let themselves down with the bat as they were bowled out for just 78, with the three hours in the field under a hot sun taking its toll.

With skipper Alex Huxley and Lancashire player Evelyn Jones missing, Whitchurch were not able to put any partnerships together, soon reaching 21-6 before a lower order fightback put together some runs between batsmen.

Wicketkeeper Kristen Ali was one of only two batsmen to reach double figures alongside Ahmed, scoring 34 including five fours and one six while Ahmed scored 17 opening up.

However, no-one else was able to contribute, with three ducks at important times, and Dimelow did not bat, while Henderson was the pick of the visiting bowling with 5-33 from eight overs.

Whitchurch only picked up four points for their efforts and are now 60 points away from Handsworth and safety.

The second XI’s showing in the reverse fixture at Pelsall meant for a sorry weekend for the club as only eight players turned out for the team.

Batting first, Mike Ellis’s men made a decent fight of trying to post a challenging score, with opener Richard Weaver in fine form as he scored a fine 51 at the top of the innings.

Nigel Davies’s 24 in what would normally be the middle order helped lift Whitchurch to 139-7 as they ran out of batsmen in the 50th over.

Three other batters made it into double figures while Sam Butcher was pick of the home bowling with 3-34

In reply, Pelsall’s second XI made light work of their run chase as opening pair Butcher and Stuart Terry both made 54 not out each while the Whitchurch bowlers made life easier for them with 32 extras, including 15 wides and 13 no-balls.

This week, the first XI will make the long trip to east Warwickshire and rugby hoping for a spark to kickstart their season and finish outside the bottom four.

However, it will be a tough test as Rugby are striving for promotion themselves and will see Whitchurch as an easy route to a minimum of at least 20 points.

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